The Hybrid Approach: How Marketers Can Blend AI And Traditional Production
President of Tool, Dustin Callif helps brands & agencies create best-in-class content, experiences and creative technology executions.
I’m a creative optimist who believes that technology has the power to amplify and improve storytelling, which is why I’m incredibly excited right now. Generative AI is at a creative tipping point. We're seeing Fortune 1000 brands starting to shift AI content creation from behind the scenes to consumer-facing.
Google Veo 2 was released and has quickly become a standard bearer for 100% AI video creation. Veo 3 was just announced as well. OpenAI launched image generation that’s blowing people away. Runway, Luma, Kling AI, Higgsfield and more—every week we’re seeing new software that allows people to create more cinematic and realistic content. (Full disclosure: We receive alpha and beta access to Google’s and Runway’s tools.)
Creative production teams, including live action directors, directors of photography, 3D designers and art directors, will have the chance to flex their creative muscles in new ways, largely thanks to how this technology opens doors to producing ideas they could only dream of without it.
And while several brands have made an impression with 100% AI-produced videos, I firmly believe that, for now, a hybrid model is the best production approach for live-action commercials that are dialogue- and product-driven.
Let’s explore how you can use this hybrid approach.
Understand What AI And Traditional Production Do Best
Your first step is understanding what’s best handled by traditional methods (physical shoots with actors, traditional editing, computer-generated imagery, etc.) and what can be sped up or improved by leveraging AI.
The biggest area where traditional production is and will remain king is human performance. AI isn't there yet when it comes to capturing authentic emotions. The same is true for products in motion. If you want to feature dynamic product shots (car moving and showing consistency between scenes), traditional is still the way to go.
Where AI excels is its ability to create environmental scenes and shots that normally would be time-consuming and expensive to capture. Need a specific kind of b-roll or additional running footage for your car commercial? AI can do that.
Sitting in the editing room when you realize you didn’t quite get the shot, angle or beat that you needed to make the final cut sing? AI can generate what you need to fill in the gap.
It’s also great for where you would typically use CGI. AI allows you to leverage special effects and filters faster than ever before.
Increase Creative Flexibility
AI can open up new worlds. Traditional productions can have logistical challenges that limit what you can shoot and where you can shoot it. Sure, you may want a jungle, a desert or a wintry tundra in your car commercial. Practically speaking, traveling to three locations doesn’t make any sense.
This is where leveraging a hybrid approach comes in. Generative AI allows you to push your creative vision further without sacrificing your budget. Shoot what you need with a camera, and then leverage AI to bring in the locations your commercial needs to really shine. For example, my agency recently shot an experimental commercial for a carmaker that leveraged a hybrid approach to create alternate versions—one in snow and one in the desert.
It’s also worth noting that cutting back on travel could mean lowering your carbon footprint as well.
Personalize And Localize At Scale
Incorporating generative AI into your production process allows you to reach a new kind of holy grail: customized, localized or even personalized campaigns.
Instead of writing one script, pairing a modular approach with AI allows you to develop hundreds of versions of a single commercial. Your shoot might feature a nondescript downtown backdrop, but AI-powered lip sync tools could allow your star to deliver lines or name local landmarks that are matched to the regions where the ad plays. It facilitates hyperlocal content at scale, which means reaching more segments, more efficiently.
This approach does require upfront planning. To start, you’ll need to craft a concept that can be executed with a modular script. It’s also important to capture a dialogue performance of your talent (so your AI system can train on it to add future lines of dialogue) and to ensure you negotiate usage rights accordingly.
Use AI Responsibly
Over the last couple of years, many brands and agencies have prohibited the use of generative AI in the creation of consumer-facing content. But the tides are changing, largely thanks to a balance of human creativity with a responsible approach to intellectual property.
The hybrid production approach offers the best of both worlds—the talent of a traditional cast and crew, maximized by new technology. Hybrid productions still require an editor and colorist to stitch the live action and AI content together properly. And AI-generated footage still requires a strong human touch for creative curation.
Transparency with your talent is crucial. Be up front with your on-screen talent before the shoot if you are going to be using AI to alter their performance.
A responsible prompting approach is also critical for AI-generated shots. Don’t write text prompts that reference well-known intellectual property. For example, use a text prompt like “have a person doing a car stunt” versus “have a person who looks like Tom Cruise doing a car stunt like in a Mission: Impossible movie.” And keep records of all prompts so you have clear legal documentation that shows the approach you took.
I’m not saying that AI is the end-all and be-all for all creative and production solutions, but it is ready to be embraced—and now. This technology can help you elevate the way you create and market to your consumers. The hybrid approach is a way to deliver on bigger ideas than ever before, and the only way to get started is to dive right in. Are you ready?
